Today's my license's first birthday.Exactly a year has passed since I got it.This was the experience I went thru to secure this rectangular thing.I went to the driving school only be driven away to the RTO.At the RTO it was a hell of a process arranging the documents in the right order.After a two-hour wait,the transport inspector finally showed up the learner's licence hall.He signalled something to the driving school assistant which meant I had to go over to the test zone which was on the beach road.

There I found a few people already practising in order to not screw up @ the end.I watched with fascination as a guy who had converted his CBZ into a macho bike,manoeuvre it in an 8-like fashion.At 1130 the inspector turned up with a traffic constable.He had probably hitched a ride in the latter's bike.

The 2-wheelers were first.My name was 15th in the list of 24 people who had gathered.There was one lady who was pessimistic the moment she arrived there."Will I keep my leg down?""Will I turn properly?"were some of the questions she asked to herself with the driving school assistant trying to induce some confidence in her.But her mind did not change.Ultimately she ran her scooty into a wall in the first round itself.I managed to clear the test amidst doubts of whether I would signal properly without losing balance.

Next came the 4-wheelers.It was a hot day and the inspector was feeling too tired.Instead of testing each and everyone,he beckoned all the 7 of us to follow him.He moved a few yards,got out of the car and got into the next.This went on till I was last.He had only to test how I U-turned.I was @ the finishing stage when he told me to stop midway.A carriage van from andhra had illegally made its way into the city and the inspector spent 20 minutes trying to extract a few bucks from him.Finally he ordered the carriage van to be dumped near the RTO and returned to the RTO in my car with me @ the wheel.

I went home,had lunch and returned after about an hour to find the others waiting for the photo session.Names were called out one by one and once again my name came somewhere in the last.By that time I was totally exhausted.I watched with a "burning stomach",the sight of one of the guys in the group flirting a babe near a broken-down auto.

I took a closer look at the girl.I'd seen her somewhere.Finally it struck.She was the cultural secretary of my college.I was just about to catch a conversation with her when my name was called out once again.It was to sign the license.I came out after signing to find the girl shooting off with tht guy who had probably got his licence and was speeding away towards Mayajaal.

It was all over at 430.I now had a license.Since then I've been blazing away in mount road often.I hadnt been caught by the cops a single time in this one year.But wait,the license is valid for 20 years.19 more to go.Whom am I gonna encounter in future?Instead of thinking about it,catch me burning any one of the following tracks:mount road,GST road,poonamallee hi-road,marina beach road and besant nagar beach road.